Saab Turbo X snippets
…the Turbo X is black and big-wheeled, it has rhomboidal tailpipes, its detailing is in a matt titanium look and it sits 10mm lower on stiffer springs and more movement-resistant dampers, self-levelling at the rear. The brakes are bigger too….
…. the driving position and cabin ergonomics are as excellent as a Saab’s usually are. …. It sounds pretty good, too, especially from the outside, with a breathy V6 blare as the revs rise.
Boost builds quickly, witnessed by the gauge and felt by your body, but it’s not a torrent….. Drive gently and you can be extremely smooth, helped by the light, easy gearshift….
All good points, wouldn’t you say? They even call the gearshift light and easy!!
There’s nary a bad word in there, but for some reason they mark the Turbo X at only three out of five stars. Why would that be?
Forget any notions of flinging the Turbo X into a corner and tricking the system into a rear-biased tail-slide, because, on a dry road at least, it won’t have it. The Saab just grips and goes, utterly stable but frustratingly uninteractive. Yaw movements are stifled at birth.
So…… if you’d like to hang your arse-end out frequently and risk crashing the thing on any given day - buy any of the cars that they really like at Evo. If you’d like a car that can be driven around corners with plenty of grip, buy a Saab Turbo X.
——
Pre-delivery inspections will be going on like crazy in the UK this week. We have David R’s Turbo X coming mid-week as well as this one, belonging to Joe G.
Joe was allowed to take it for a quick run when it arrived at the dealership and said First impressions are its very quick and very smooth, and the engine sounds awesome!
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These babies have also recently arrived at their dealership home in the UK. One manual and one auto, both awaiting loving homes 
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and STILL no pricing for the Aussie market….
The way I look at it this is a great review. So the professional driver is a bit bored. Who cares. He likes the looks and the design. To me the fact that he cannot get excited simply means he isn’t pushing the car hard enough.
I love how the wheels look VERY UNIQUE on these cars… especially Joe’s photo… thank you Saab!
It seems the car media could only acknowledge a car if they can drift it at the corners.
What a stupid position.
Richo , l have a official SAAB dealer fax that was sent to me 5 weeks ago with Australian pricing , my dealer has sold his allocation and could have sold more !
Oh man I wish I could´ve had test drive before all the snow is gone. But it´s too late already. There should be Turbo X at our closest dealer´s lot quite soon. I don´t know if they´ll give it for a test drive or what. They´re so rare in Finland.
And then something else (off topic, sorry). Yesterday I had a good example how things have gone forward by big steps on 9-3. I had a pleasure to test 2002 9-3 Aero on my favourite roads here in Raahe. Car felt quite powerfull and even the handling was quite good. Though I did not push it to the limit. Not even close. Owner of the car was sitting beside me
So, I had a really good time driving around testing it´s abilities. My fav road has railway crossing, few very tight bends, long and fast curves, two very good braking points and so on. Nice road to test suspension and handling. So, I´d say car was okay, if not really that impressive. It was manual ´02 Aero.
So after that I jumped on our new TTiD and took it for a spin on those very same roads. A little reminder, this car is diesel and Automatic + it´s a station wagon with basic suspension.
It really makes justice to call this car a Sport Combi. First, it feels VERY light compared to the ´02. Steering is like 50% lighter. At least! Brakes are much more powerfull and better to regulate the braking force. Engine kicks b*tt immediately, so you can get out of a curve in a blink of an eye. Automatic at Sport-mode takes care that the gear is always correct.
I say that on a curvy road, you can leave previous Aero behind with latest non aero diesel version. And you don´t have to have driving skills to do that.
So if you have possibility, go and make a comparison. You´ll be supprised. There´s a world of difference there. Though this do not take away the fun factor from previous 9-3 Aero being a very comfortable and quick driving machine.
I cannot wait to get my T16S again on those roads to see how it feels now after two years of driving SportCombi.
The fwd car that I have liked most on that road was Ford Focus St with Volvo T5 engine. It really was a blast to drive there and I enjoyed every second of it. But to use that as a daily driver… no no no.
its unbelieveable that we nothing see from the turbo-x in europa an than i mean netherlands or germany or belgium.
its end april and nobody can show pictures or told his story of delivering his ordered turbo-x.
anyone has write for two weeks this is the turbo-x week and now we are two weeks later and nothing in these country’s hapening????
And what´s more. Saab had rights to have XWD exclusively for a year, starting from july / 07 if I understood things correctly. It´s not really a long time anymore when Haldex 4 will be available for other makers as well. It starts to look like Saab messed up the change being a one and the only XWD car. Aero XWD´s should be on their way to the customers Quickly!!
MarkoA, I thought the XWD trademark is owned by Saab, is that not the case?
I just get SOO tired when i read that BS, ofcourse its all grip when all the systems are “engaged” (the so called “professional” driver didnt even drive the car raw). With the ESP fully engaged thats how the turbo X works, all grip perfect line, no oversteer, no understeer.
Turn the ESP off and have all the fun you want!
Kroum, yes I think you are correct. I mean Haldex 4-system, don´t know if others are able to use XWD name, but the system itself was exclusively for Saab for the first 12 months according Swedish newspapers.
I *love* EVO, it’s the only car magazine I’ll actually buy at full price because I think it’s worth it. The writing and photography is exceptional, in a travelogue or food-and-wine kind of way.
BUT.
I’ve long been accustomed to the fact that the only cars EVO really likes are the kind that leave hot metal sparks at every speed bump and encourage you to wear a fireproof balaclava to the grocery store.
They’re not so mad about power, but handling is the altar at which they sacrifice their fattest, juiciest lambs.
EVO is for people who want their commute to work to feel like a hot lap around Le Mans, even if they never break 45mph.
Again, I *love* EVO. But the Turbo X is not, let’s face it, a back-breaking, gear-whining, ear-popping, butt-cooking homologation special. So there’s not much reason for EVO to give it anything more than 3 stars.
Now the Opel Insignia is getting it too, ALONG WITH an active chassis system along the lines of the Ohlins 4c system in the Volvo S60R.
But at least the Turbo X has a lowering kit!
Porsche is testing out the Haldex 4 transmission, and may switch. You know you have a good product, when the world follows your lead.
http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080327.003/will-porsche-carrera-4-switch-to-haldex-awd